Mazda has never been shy about looking into the future. Over the years, it has signaled its design direction with a series of striking concept vehicles – and this year is no exception, though the small Japanese automaker is actually presenting two crystal-balls-on-wheels at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

One of these show cars offers a relatively near-term view of things to come, the Kai Concept believed to be hewing closely to what we’ll see with the next-generation Mazda3 hatchback. It picks up on what the automaker calls “a more mature expression” of the design language first introduced with the Kodo concept in 2010.

Auto Show News!

Pushing the proverbial envelope a step further is the Mazda Vision Coupe, a striking, long-nosed prototype that would be impressive even if unveiled by such European luxury brands as BMW or Audi. Says Mazda, it “embodies a minimalist Japanese aesthetic, achieving a simple ‘one-motion’ form that conveys a sense of speed.”

Does this Tokyo sports car concept signal the return of the Mazda RX - and the rotary engine?

Is Mazda finally ready to relaunch its RX sports car? It’s certainly starting to look like the answer is “yes.”

With barely a month to go before the biennial Tokyo Motor Show opens, the Japanese maker is offering a few hints of what it will have on display. And among the 14 models that will be on the stand, we can expect a sports car concept that, says Mazda, “maintains a sense of lineage and authenticity.”

Pushing the Limits!

Of course, if Mazda is truly set to reach back in its historical back of tricks, that raises another critical question: will the new sports car pack an updated version of Mazda’s signature rotary under the hood? Company officials have offered broad hints that they’re working on a Wankel engine that can meet modern fuel economy and emissions requirements.

After years of hints, promises and denials, Mazda finally appears to be moving towards the re-launch of its once-familiar rotary engine, with a concept model said to be in the works for 2017, and a production model to follow three years later.

But the revived rotary may serve a very different purpose going forward, showing up as part of a plug-in hybrid that would take advantage of the compact engine’s advantages while offsetting its traditional design limitations.

Your Global Auto News Source!

Several senior executives have discussed the company’s options with TheDetroitBureau.com in recent years, including several directly involved in the program. They have made it clear that Mazda would like to offer a so-called Wankel engine in its portfolio. The unusual powertrain was a signature of the brand when it first burst onto the American scene in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

Mazda briefly stretched out the rotary engine's final run with production of the special-edition RX-8 Spirit.

It has been a mainstay of the brand’s powertrain line-up for more than four decades but in the coming days Mazda will produce the last of its one-popular rotary engines as it halts production of the RX-8 sports car.

The rotary, also known as a Wankel, for its inventor, helped make the Hiroshima-based automaker – but also nearly destroyed it, as well, when a series of major design flaws were discovered leading to endemic early engine failures. But while improvements in the design allowed Mazda to maintain the rotary for quite some time the engine just couldn’t keep up with today’s fast-rising fuel economy standards.

Your Trusted Source!

“Production of the RX-8 will end, but the rotary engine will live on as an important part of Mazda’s spirit,” said Mazda President Takashi Yamanouchi, in a prepared statement.

The rotary engine was developed by German engineer Felix Wankel just after World War II, but it took until the 1960s before automakers began taking a serious look at the technology.

With apologies to Mark Twain, reports of the death of the rotary engine are premature, though not greatly exaggerated. Mazda has decided to give its Wankel-powered RX-8 a temporary reprieve, adding an extra 1,000 units to its final run. But what happens beyond that is anything but certain.

While the Japanese maker has been hinting that a more advanced version of the ultra-compact powertrain is under development – this time borrowing some features from Mazda’s promising SkyActiv technology – it is anything but certain if or when a rotary will return to production.

Your Auto News Heavyweight!

As the Mazda RX-8 wraps up its ninth and final year of production, Mazda has decided to add another 1,000 units to the run to meet unexpected demand. The last cars will be part of the Japanese maker’s limited-edition Spirit R model, a heavily loaded model featuring such niceties as Recaro sport bucket seats, oversized red brakes and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

When the Mazda RX-8 ceases production the rotary engine goes away, as well.

The rotary engine is in for a revival, or so it might seem based on a tweet posted – in Japanese by the PR folks at Mazda headquarters in Hiroshima.

It suggests a “new model with next-generation rotary engine” is in the works, confirming a report by TheDetroitBureau.com several months ago.

At the time, the senior executive on the maker’s new SkyActiv program, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, told TDB he was continuing to work on the Wankel engine almost as a skunk works project, even though it did not have the official corporate green light. (For the full story, Click Here.)

Inside News!

Now, it appears, the next-gen rotary program is on the official program, though the Mazda posting did not provide any details, according to our friends at Autoblog.com.

The rotary engine has been a favorite for many tech aficionados since the 1960s, when it made its first appearance in Europe in an NSU and, shortly afterwards a Mazda. In fact, it appeared that the Wankel would become an automotive mainstay, with manufacturers as diverse as General Motors and AMC planning to put it into production.

The new Mazda CX-5 crossover will be the maker's first vehicle developed specifically to use the new Skyactiv system, though the Skyactiv powertrain will appear first on the 2012 Mazda3 update.

“We are a very small company,” says Kyoshi Fujiwara – again. It’s a mantra repeated over and over by the Japanese engineer who has become something of the chief cook and bottle washer for Mazda’s ambitious Skyactiv project.

The far-reaching effort could be the make-it-or-break it for, yes, this very small company, which has largely severed its ties with Detroit giant Ford Motor Co. Long known for going its own way with unusual technology – think Wankel rotary engine – Mazda is doing it again with Skyactiv, a system that it claims can deliver the fuel efficiency of a hybrid without the performance and price penalties.

Subscribe Now! It's Free!

Early next year, Mazda will introduce the new Skyactiv-G gasoline engine on the updated Mazda3 sedan. But the technology isn’t limited to just a new petrol powertrain, ala Ford’s EcoBoost. With Skyactiv, Mazda claims to have re-thought the entire vehicle, coming up with both gasoline and diesel engines, advanced manual and automatic transmissions and lighter-weight platforms that further enhance its drive for improved fuel economy without sacrificing the company’s familiar zoom-zoom qualities.

TheDetroitBureau.com recently got a chance to take an in-depth look at the Skyactiv system and files this report.

With the upcoming demise of the RX-8 sports car, a piece of Mazda’s history will vanish. But a senior company engineer tells TheDetroitBureau.com that the Japanese maker aims to bring back the rotary engine – in all-new form – shortly after mid-decade.

Formally known as the Wankel, the unusual powertrain helped put Mazda on the map when it first entered the American market four decades ago. At the time, a large number of manufacturers were studying rotary engine applications. But early problems with reliability and an ongoing issue with fuel economy led most makers to abandon the technology.

Your Winning News Source!

Mazda, however, has maintained the rotary in its line-up because its small size and high performance fit the brand’s “zoom-zoom” image, said Kiyoshi Fujiwara, the Japanese maker’s global product design chief.